Peace Love and Bring a Bat

Never Quit Trying: Jay Setchell on Leadership, Faith, Resilience, and the Strength Within You

Uncle Dave welcomes Jay Setchell, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, entrepreneur, author, speaker, and founder of Never Quit Trying, for a powerful conversation about surviving the impossible, leading by example, trusting God, and refusing to let pain determine the rest of your life.

Jay grew up on a working farm in north-central Illinois, surrounded by livestock, crops, machinery, and responsibilities that could not be postponed. Farm life taught him discipline, adaptability, and the importance of finding another useful task when the original plan falls apart. Those lessons shaped how he later approached military service, business, disability, leadership, and recovery.

After enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1967, Jay suffered catastrophic injuries in 1969. He spent approximately a year in a naval hospital, including months in traction and time in a coma. During one medical crisis, he describes watching doctors work on his body from above before believing he was gone. A physician returned, performed an emergency tracheotomy, and helped bring him back.

That was not Jay’s final encounter with death. He later survived a drunk-driving collision, a broken neck that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down, numerous surgeries, severe COVID after doctors told his wife to prepare for his death, and a highway crash that sent his vehicle across multiple lanes. Through every setback, Jay returned to the same belief: if God has kept you alive, there is still work for you to do.

When employers could not accommodate his physical limitations, Jay created his own opportunities. He launched businesses, led teams, entered the graphics and trade-show industry, developed homes, and continued finding new ways to contribute. Even after being placed on long-term disability at 41, he refused to treat his life as finished.

Jay’s leadership philosophy is rooted in responsibility rather than titles. Leaders should be willing to clean the restroom, pick something up from the floor, park farther away so the customer gets the best space, and help move materials before the rain arrives. Leadership means doing what is right, following through, and never asking someone else to do work you consider beneath you.

He also emphasizes genuine human connection. In a “microwave society” obsessed with speed, automated outreach, and instant results, Jay still believes in looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand, learning how their business works, and demonstrating that you care. People may hear what you know, but they respond when they understand how much you care.

The conversation explores planning, flexibility, and action. Plans provide direction, but no business or battle unfolds exactly as expected. Strong leaders dream big, take manageable steps, and remain flexible enough to adjust. Faith and hope matter, but they must be paired with discipline, movement, and a willingness to meet God halfway.

Jay’s book, The Strength Within You: It’s Always Too Soon to Quit, encourages readers to draw strength from everything they have survived. Pain, frustration, faith, upbringing, adversity, and previous victories can all become resources for the next challenge.

His Magic Garden seed is simple but demanding: find something meaningful, build a vision, stay flexible, practice discipline, and keep moving forward. Progress may be slow, but the tortoise wins because it does not stop.

Jay shares the story of an 88-year-old widow who had lost interest in living to 90. After reading his book several times, she wrote to say she was now planning her 95th birthday. That message captures the purpose behind Jay’s work: one person’s refusal to quit can become another person’s reason to keep going.

As Jay says, “It’s always too soon to quit trying.”

To connect with Jay Setchell:

https://neverquittrying.com/

jay@neverquittrying.com

Featured book:

The Strength Within You: It’s Always Too Soon to Quit — available on Amazon.

To support us:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

 

 

Take Up Space With Grace: Genevieve Pool and Uncle Dave on Mental Wellness, Self-Love, and Healing

Uncle Dave welcomes Genevieve “Jen” Pool, writer and host of the With Genevieve Podcast, for a special cross-podcast conversation about therapy, coping mechanisms, suicide survival, self-love, creativity, community, and becoming more present.

Jen explains why she began podcasting in English after first creating content in Dutch. A planned move to Toronto did not happen, but the dream behind it remained. She continued building a platform where therapists, business owners, writers, and mental-health advocates could share ideas that help listeners grow. That decision connected her with a worldwide community—including Uncle Dave.

The conversation explores the ways people cope when life feels unsafe. Jen identifies humor as one of her strongest coping mechanisms. Growing up with a narcissistic father and experiencing parentification, she often became responsible for reducing tension, carrying other people’s emotions, and keeping everyone comfortable. Humor helped her survive, but it also made others assume she was always strong and did not need support.

Therapy helped Jen recognize that being funny and being emotionally well are not always the same thing. She also learned that finding the right therapist is personal. Someone may be professionally qualified and still not be the correct match. Healing requires a relationship where a person can be direct, vulnerable, and honest without feeling judged.

David shares his own experience with therapy, suicide survival, recovery advocacy, and the Havening Techniques. He explains how gently rubbing the hands can act as a personal reset button during stressful moments. It does not erase the problem, but it can help someone feel safer and respond with greater intention.

Both hosts speak openly about surviving suicide attempts and receiving the message that their lives were not finished. David was told to return and tell his story. Since then, he has written books, delivered a TEDx talk, helped others reach stages, and built Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat into a platform for healing stories.

Jen once believed she would never reach 30. Now, at 32, she is building a podcast, writing her first full manuscript, and learning to see herself as a work in progress rather than a broken person. Her writing explores psychology, self-love, childhood experiences, and rebuilding after painful relationships.

David encourages her to keep writing without becoming trapped by perfection. A book does not have to please everyone to matter. If writing it brings healing and one reader feels understood, it has already created value. Deadlines may offer direction, but grace matters more than forcing a project before it is ready.

The episode also examines self-love and forgiveness. Loving yourself does not mean approving of every decision. It means refusing to abandon yourself when you make a mistake. Other people may never apologize, understand, or offer closure, but we can still forgive ourselves and choose a healthier next step.

Jen shares how yoga, breathing, and body awareness help her slow down and listen to what she needs. When a migraine begins or exhaustion appears, she no longer automatically pushes through. She treats those signals as information and gives herself permission to rest.

David explains that his recent heart procedure created a similar reckoning. Watching doctors place a stent inside his own heart made the need for change immediate. Recovery forced him to slow down, leave a stressful role, reconnect with his podcast, and discover that spending time alone no longer had to feel frightening.

Jen’s guiding mantra is:

“Take up space with grace.”

People are allowed to be confident, visible, ambitious, and fully themselves without becoming cruel or dismissive.

David’s guiding practice is presence. The past can teach us, and the future can guide us, but power exists in the choices we make today. We can acknowledge mistakes, apologize when needed, learn from what happened, and still refuse to remain trapped inside an old version of ourselves.

They close by discussing baseball and the meaning behind “Bring a Bat.” The bat represents balance, boundaries, authenticity, and finding your personal sweet spot. Success does not always look like a home run. Sometimes it means showing up, swinging with intention, and knowing you did the best you could.

This episode is a reminder that healing is not a straight line, community matters, and nobody has to figure everything out alone. We are all works in progress, still learning how to care for ourselves while becoming the people we are meant to be.

To connect with Genevieve Pool:

Search With Genevieve across major podcast platforms, social media, and LinkedIn.

To connect with Uncle Dave:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

 

 

Near-Death SHIFT: Holly Porter on Purpose, Transformation, and Loving People Where They Are

Uncle Dave welcomes Holly Porter—entrepreneur, transformational leader, author, philanthropist, wife, mother of eight, and grandmother of 19—to discuss surviving COVID, experiencing a near-death event, rebuilding after trauma, and discovering a deeper mission.

Holly had spent decades launching businesses and raising a large family when COVID changed everything. She entered the hospital with an oxygen level of 63 and spent 70 days receiving intensive care. She was intubated twice, received a tracheostomy, developed sepsis, and endured extensive treatments. Her husband was also dealing with COVID and blood clots, so he could not manage her care. Holly considers it a miracle that family members were permitted to stay with her when so many patients faced illness alone.

Leaving the hospital on November 11—11/11—began a difficult recovery. She lost most of her hair, experienced severe pain, and needed more than a year to begin feeling functional again.

Her daily philosophy became: “Better is better.”

Instead of comparing herself to who she had been before the illness, Holly focused on one question: What can I do today to become slightly healthier than I was yesterday? That shift helped her stop seeing herself only as a victim and begin asking what the experience might be teaching her.

During her hospitalization, Holly experienced out-of-body events, a spiritually transformative experience, and a near-death experience. She describes visiting places connected to her family history and receiving messages that gave her a renewed sense of purpose. Holly says she was sent back with a mission.

Those experiences became the foundation for her book, Near Death SHIFT: What Life Taught Me About Life, Business, and Purpose. SHIFT stands for Surrender, Hope, Intuition, Faith, and Transformation. Holly explains that surrender and transformation are the bookends of meaningful change. We cannot fully transform while holding tightly to every former identity, expectation, habit, and plan.

Her journey also inspired the International Retreat Association, created to serve retreat leaders, venues, travel professionals, wellness providers, chefs, attorneys, software companies, and other partners. Holly saw an industry with enormous growth but no central association providing shared ethics, education, standards, best practices, or resources. Rather than waiting for someone else to build it, she accepted the assignment.

The conversation also explores Holly’s nonprofit work. Adventure Bucket Wish Foundation originally focused on long COVID, but its mission shifted toward helping women move through adversity and rediscover purpose through RBL Women—Rise, Build, Lead. Her longer-term vision includes supporting children, foster youth, and young people aging out of care.

Holly closes with the message that transformed how she sees other people. During a hypnosis session revisiting her near-death experience, she asked why her life review had shown her only the good moments. The answer she received was:

“I’m showing you the good because that’s what matters.”

Then came the lesson that continues to guide her:

“Love them where they’re at.”

We cannot control another person’s path, timing, understanding, or choices. We can maintain boundaries and protect ourselves while releasing judgment and meeting people where they currently stand. Holly’s story reminds us that transformation begins with surrender, purpose can emerge from pain, and love remains one of the most powerful ways to shift the world.

To connect with Holly Porter:

Explore her Linktree, book, nonprofit work, retreat resources, and the International Retreat Association through the links included with this episode.

To support us:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

 

 

Your Best Health Is Hiding in Your Calendar: Mo Cooper on Nutrition, Self-Awareness, and Sustainable Change

Uncle Dave welcomes Mo Cooper, healthy lifestyle coach and founder of Mo Mind Body Soul, for an honest and practical conversation about food, weight loss, time management, self-love, movement, sleep, and creating a healthier life without attempting to change everything overnight.

Mo explains that although many people initially seek her help because they want to lose weight, weight loss is often the byproduct of building a healthier lifestyle. Her approach developed through her own experience as a busy mother trying to care for three children at different stages of life while feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and disconnected from herself.

Her transformation began with one small decision: waking up before the rest of the household. What started as early-morning exercise became protected time to enjoy breakfast, sit quietly, and care for herself before everyone else needed something. Over time, that simple routine became the foundation for greater peace, strength, confidence, and health.

David shares how his recent heart-health scare forced him to reconsider choices he previously believed were relatively healthy. Their green-room conversation revealed one surprising example: beginning the morning with a sugary cereal may create a very different start to the day than a meal built around protein and healthy fats.

Mo encourages listeners to pay attention to how breakfast influences hunger, energy, and cravings throughout the day. Rather than limiting breakfast to traditional foods, she recommends considering satisfying combinations such as eggs, avocado, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, lean meats, fish, or even leftover taco meat and vegetables. Her message is not that everyone must eat the same foods, but that people should understand what they are putting into their bodies and make intentional choices.

The conversation also explores the difference between information and application. Most people already know that heavily processed foods, excessive sugar, and frequent fast food may not support their goals. The real challenge is translating that knowledge into daily decisions—especially when people are tired, stressed, alone, busy, or looking for comfort.

Mo shares her personal journey of gaining more than 65 pounds during pregnancy, living with multiple sclerosis, struggling with low self-esteem, and feeling like an alien inside her own body. She did not begin exercising seriously until her late 30s, proving that a healthier life does not require a childhood filled with sports or decades of perfect habits.

At 55, Mo values strength, mobility, energy, and independence. She may not always enjoy waking up early for boot camp, but she deeply values how movement allows her to feel inside her body.

David and Mo also discuss community as an essential part of wellness. David shares his Sunday tradition with his 97-year-old neighbor, Connie, who prepares food and spends time talking with him. The meal represents more than nutrition—it carries connection, care, history, and love. Mo explains that relationships, purpose, and belonging can be just as important to long-term wellness as food and exercise.

A central theme of the episode is becoming unapologetic about your health. Family members, friends, and coworkers may not always understand new boundaries or lifestyle changes. They may encourage someone to abandon a goal because “one more piece won’t hurt.” Mo reminds listeners that their health is not a public vote.

That does not mean never eating pizza, pasta, dessert, or celebration food again. It means making those choices consciously rather than allowing convenience, pressure, or habit to make them automatically.

Mo’s five foundational areas of a healthy lifestyle include:

Time management
Nutrition
Stress management
Movement
Sleep and recovery

She explains that mindset is often the result of consistently investing in these areas. When people nourish themselves, protect their sleep, move their bodies, manage stress, and use their time intentionally, confidence and self-respect begin to grow naturally.

One of Mo’s most powerful tools is the time audit. She encourages people to review their days in 30-minute increments and ask:

What was I doing?
How did I feel?
Was I working, resting, scrolling, worrying, or avoiding something?
Did this activity support the life I want?

The exercise is not intended to create shame. It develops awareness. Once people understand where their time is going, they can recognize where their health goals are being supported—and where time is quietly leaking away.

Mo also emphasizes that coaches must recognize the boundaries of their expertise. Some people carry trauma, shame, or emotional wounds that require help from a qualified therapist. A responsible coach can listen, guide, and support healthy habits while also recognizing when another professional is needed.

Her seed for the Magic Garden is simple:

Your best health is closer than you think—and it may already be hiding inside your calendar.

Do not attempt to overhaul your entire life overnight. Begin with one small action you can repeat consistently. Protect one bedtime. Improve one breakfast. Take one walk. Review one day of your time. Treat yourself like someone deeply worthy of care.

Small decisions, practiced consistently, can change the direction of a life.

To connect with Mo Cooper:

https://timewithcoachmo.com/

https://momindbodysoul.com/

Schedule a conversation with Mo to discuss where you are in your health journey and identify practical changes that may help you move forward.

To support us, check out:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

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Rise Above the Narrative: Kneet on Music, Motherhood, Advocacy, and Reclaiming Your Voice

Uncle Dave welcomes Kneet, a Punjabi Sikh artist raised in Thailand, psychology graduate, mother, and founder of Protect Children New York, for a powerful conversation about music, identity, domestic abuse, family court, mental wellness, and rising after life attempts to rewrite your story.

Kneet shares how her song “Rise” grew from an honest conversation with her producer about domestic violence, coercive control, and the painful family-court battle she experienced after coming to the United States. What began as emotional venting became a deeply personal song about refusing to let another person define her identity. Returning to the location where her story began to film the music video—and bringing her son with her—became an empowering part of her healing.

The conversation explores the mission behind Protect Children New York, an initiative created to bring greater attention to children affected by coercive control, psychological abuse, emotional trauma, and harmful family-court decisions. Kneet explains that these forms of abuse may not leave visible marks, making them difficult for courts to recognize. Children may also lack the language to explain their experiences or form trauma bonds that prevent them from speaking openly.

David and Kneet discuss how family-court cases can become battles over who presents the stronger legal narrative rather than a complete investigation into what is best for the child. Kneet hopes to use her music, education, advocacy, and public platform to encourage courts and communities to recognize the emotional and psychological realities children face.

Kneet also shares the cultural influences behind her music. Born and raised in Bangkok while maintaining her Punjabi Sikh heritage, she brings Indian, Thai, Asian, and Western elements into her artistry. Her song “My Man” celebrates her Punjabi roots, while “To the Moon” began as a lullaby inspired by the phrase her father used with her son: “I love you to the moon and back.” Although listeners may hear it as a romantic song, its original meaning centers on the bond between a mother and child and their dream of escaping together to a peaceful place.

Music has become more than a career for Kneet—it is a vessel for healing, storytelling, and reclaiming the identity she felt she lost under another person’s control. Each song represents a part of her life, allowing her to transform pain, love, struggle, and hope into something others can connect with.

Kneet explains that reclaiming your voice begins with getting to know yourself again. When other people repeatedly tell us who we are, we can lose track of our preferences, boundaries, passions, and direction. Self-reclamation requires pausing long enough to ask what you believe, what you enjoy, and which path you choose.

The episode also highlights the importance of community. Kneet credits her parents, producer, son, and trusted supporters with helping her remain grounded. When she forgets who she is, the right people remind her—not of the identity created by someone else, but of the authentic person they have always known.

Her seed for the Magic Garden is simple: no one is an island. Healing, creativity, parenting, and advocacy all require the right support system. Faith can guide us, but we must also help ourselves, accept support, and surround ourselves with people who encourage us to rise.

Kneet’s message is one of resilience: falling does not make us failures. We are human, and difficult seasons will come. What matters is recognizing when it is time to stand, reclaim the truth, and rise again.

To follow and support Kneet:

Search Kneet Music on social media:
K-N-E-E-T Music

Find her music on streaming platforms by searching:
Kneet

Listen for songs including:

• Rise
• My Man
• To the Moon

Follow her advocacy work with Protect Children New York and her mission to protect children affected by coercive control, emotional abuse, and family-court trauma.

To support us, check out:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

 

 

Live Fully, Lead Authentically: Kurt Bush on Emotional Regulation, Reflection, and Becoming a Leader Worth Following

Uncle Dave welcomes Kurt Bush, leadership coach, former manufacturing leader and pastor, co-founder of Brimstone Coaching Group, and co-author of Live Fully: Lead Authentically, for a thoughtful conversation about authentic leadership, emotional regulation, resilience, and helping overwhelmed leaders become unstuck.

Kurt shares how his understanding of leadership developed through two very different environments. He began his career inside a manufacturing plant, where he learned to lead both people and production processes. He later attended seminary and spent approximately a decade pastoring churches, where leadership meant guiding volunteers, developing other leaders, and helping people manage anxiety during uncertain seasons.

During the pandemic and the cultural upheaval of 2020, Kurt discovered how much he valued coaching anxious leaders. He found purpose in helping people lower the emotional temperature, regain perspective, and focus on the work and people in front of them. That realization eventually led him to transition from pastoral ministry into full-time leadership coaching.

David and Kurt discuss why leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room or possessing every answer. A leader may have authority, but people still decide whether that person is worth following. Authentic leadership begins with becoming clear about who you want to be, how you want to show up, and whether your daily behavior aligns with those values.

Kurt challenges the idea that authenticity means acting without a filter or excusing hurtful behavior by saying, “That’s just who I am.” Authenticity is not permission to remain emotionally reactive. It is the willingness to hold up a mirror, acknowledge behavior that does not reflect your best self, and take intentional steps to respond differently.

The conversation also explores Kurt’s transformational framework:

E + R = T

• Encounter: A difficult, surprising, or emotionally activating moment
• Reflection: Examining what happened, who was involved, what emotions surfaced, and how you responded
• Transformation: Choosing how you want to act when a similar situation happens again

Kurt explains that reflection rarely happens by accident. Leaders may need to schedule time for it, particularly when silence and self-examination feel uncomfortable. Transformation begins when we stop reacting automatically and become curious about what is happening inside us.

Kurt and David also discuss the inner critic. The goal is not always to silence it. Sometimes the inner critic points toward something that genuinely needs attention. The important distinction is whether that voice drives us toward curiosity and growth—or toward hiding, shame, and avoidance.

One of the most powerful parts of the episode explores protective promises. These are unconscious promises we make after painful or embarrassing childhood experiences, such as:

• “I will never let people think I am stupid.”
• “I will never allow myself to be embarrassed again.”
• “I will stay quiet so I cannot be rejected.”

Those promises may protect a child, but they can restrict an adult leader.

Kurt shares how misspelling the word “farm” during a childhood spelling bee created a fear of appearing unintelligent. Years later, that protective promise still encouraged him to remain silent in important conversations. His healing required replacing it with a purposeful promise:

“I am here on purpose.”

That promise then supports a preferred action:

“I say what is true for me.”

The conversation closes with an important reminder for exhausted leaders: frustration, burnout, and overwhelm do not have to be accepted as permanent parts of adulthood. Hard seasons will still happen, but people can learn to navigate them in a way that creates greater peace, sustainability, and wholeness.

Kurt’s seed for the Magic Garden is simple: find someone you trust and tell them how you truly feel. Naming exhaustion, anxiety, or overwhelm can be the first step toward discovering that another way of living and leading is possible.

To connect with Kurt Bush and Brimstone Coaching Group:

https://brimstonecoachinggroup.com/

Book:

Live Fully: Lead Authentically

Visit the Brimstone Coaching Group website to explore coaching, listen to the podcast, or schedule a free conversation with Kurt or his coaching partner.

To support us, check out:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

 

 

 

 

Shining Light on the Shadows: Sayen Gates on Healing, Self-Awareness, and Giving Yourself Permission

Uncle Dave welcomes Sayen Gates, shadow life coach, author, doula, and host of the Shadow Corner Podcast, for a deeply personal conversation about shadow work, childhood wounds, emotional triggers, self-awareness, and learning to accept every part of yourself.

Sayen explains that shadow work is not something dark or frightening. It is the process of recognizing the memories, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors we have suppressed because they did not seem to fit the person we believed we needed to become. Drawing from her own experiences with people-pleasing, overgiving, religious trauma, sexual assault, and emotional and physical abuse, she shares how confronting those hidden pieces helped her become more authentic and intentional.

David and Sayen discuss how unresolved experiences can become emotional “landmines.” Other people may unknowingly step on those triggers because they were never given a map. Instead of immediately reacting, shadow work teaches us to pause, separate the person from the problem, identify the memory attached to the reaction, and ask whether the situation deserves our time and energy.

Sayen also explains why healing does not happen once. As we grow, new levels of awareness reveal patterns we could not previously see. Life may retest us—not as punishment, but as an opportunity to demonstrate growth, practice accountability, and respond differently than we would have in the past.

The conversation explores Sayen’s work as a birth and postpartum doula, the emotional realities surrounding pregnancy and motherhood, and the importance of holding space without judgment. Sometimes people do not need advice or immediate solutions. They simply need someone who will listen, allow them to feel, and remind them they are not alone.

Sayen closes with her guiding lesson: give yourself permission. Give yourself permission to grieve, receive, rest, feel joy, forgive your past, choose yourself, and live according to what truly lights a fire within you. We often grant compassion and understanding to others while denying those same gifts to ourselves. Healing begins when we recognize that we are worthy of receiving what we so freely give.

To connect with Sayen Gates:

https://www.shadowcornerlifecoaching.com/

Listen to the Shadow Corner Podcast to hear Sayen’s personal journey and conversations with guests who have transformed their pain, patterns, and obstacles into growth.

To support us, check out:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

 

 

Saving Rikers Island’s Forgotten Cats: Barry Hyman on Rescue, Compassion, and Second Chances

Uncle Dave welcomes longtime friend Barry Hyman, senior staff optometrist at Rikers Island, Knights of Pythias brother, and dedicated volunteer with the Rikers Island Cat Rescue, to discuss the extraordinary effort to protect and humanely manage the island’s feral-cat population.

Barry shares how discovering kittens outside one of the jail facilities in 2019 led him to connect with retired correction captain Gloria Morelli and become certified in TNR—trap, neuter, and return. Since then, a small team of volunteers has helped reduce the cat population from more than 500 to approximately 250–300 by organizing mass-trapping events, coordinating veterinary care, maintaining feeding stations, providing fresh water, and building winter shelters across Rikers Island’s roughly 465 acres.

The conversation explores how quickly an unaltered pair of cats can create an enormous colony, why straw rather than blankets should be used in outdoor shelters, and how abandoned domestic cats can become part of the island’s population. Barry also explains how damaged or donated pet products from organizations and retailers help the rescue obtain food and supplies at reduced costs—but fundraising, transportation, medical care, and daily maintenance remain constant challenges.

Barry also shares exciting progress toward establishing a centralized cat sanctuary on Rikers Island. The proposed sanctuary would bring the cats into one protected location, simplify their daily care, make newly abandoned cats easier to identify, and potentially create a program where eligible detainees learn animal care, responsibility, empathy, and practical trapping skills. Similar correctional animal programs have shown that caring for animals can reduce violence and help participants rediscover compassion, purpose, and connection.

This episode is a powerful reminder that meaningful change often begins with one person noticing a problem, choosing to help, and continuing to show up—even when the work is difficult, unglamorous, and largely unseen.

To support Barry and the Rikers Island Cat Rescue:

https://ricr.org/

Visit the website to donate, purchase a T-shirt, access the Amazon wish list, or learn more about the rescue’s work.

Search for Rikers Island Cat Rescue on Facebook and Instagram.

To support us, check out:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

 

 

From “Why Me?” to “Try Me”: Dan MacQueen on Resilience, Recovery, and Becoming Bulletproof

Uncle Dave welcomes Dan MacQueen, a keynote speaker based in Vancouver, Canada, to discuss resilience, change management, motivation, and the extraordinary recovery journey that reshaped his entire life.

Dan shares how recurring headaches and temporary blindness on a London Underground platform eventually revealed a dangerous buildup of pressure in his brain caused by a noncancerous cyst. Emergency surgery led to a massive brain hemorrhage, a four-week coma, significant weight loss, and the devastating realization that he would need to relearn how to walk, talk, and smile.

Rather than allowing the diagnosis to define his future, Dan began rebuilding his life through small, meaningful improvements. He explains his “aim small, miss small, and ratchet” philosophy—setting manageable goals, establishing a new baseline, and gradually raising the standard. Whether reducing the time it took to move in a wheelchair, learning to walk through the crowded streets of London, or returning to the ski slopes years later, Dan focused on consistent progress rather than instant transformation.

David and Dan discuss how changing your perspective can transform an experience. What Dan initially considered the worst possible place to relearn walking—busy Tooting Broadway—eventually became the best training ground because every collision and obstacle made him stronger. His lesson is clear: when you change how you look at a challenge, the challenge itself begins to change.

Dan also explores failure, discipline, and keeping promises to yourself. He explains that confidence does not come from repeating empty affirmations—it develops by consistently doing what you said you would do. Through swimming, meditation, clean eating, public speaking, and daily routines, Dan has built a powerful stack of evidence proving that he can rely on himself.

The conversation also introduces Dan’s philosophy of “Play Loose, Look Tight”—have fun, remain curious, and bring lightness into difficult situations while still showing up intentionally and professionally. He shares how humor, including his famous “naked walks,” helped him find joy during an otherwise painful and frightening recovery.

Dan’s journey represents a powerful transformation from asking “Why me?” to declaring “Try me.” His guiding message is rooted in stoicism: life will deliver punches, setbacks, diagnoses, and unexpected changes, but what ultimately matters is how we choose to respond.

To connect with Dan MacQueen:

https://macqueendan.com/

Search for MacQueen Dan across social media platforms.

To support us, check out:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

 

 

 

Uncle Dave welcomes longtime friend Javier “Javi” Santana, entrepreneur, brand strategist, storyteller, former Division I baseball player, and founder of Vida Brand Lab and Vivir Coffee Company, for a conversation about identity, culture, community, passion, and learning to trust yourself.

Javi shares his journey from growing up in Puerto Rico and Northern Virginia to building a successful career in marketing, communications, branding, and storytelling. He explains how his love of coffee evolved into a mission to create more than another coffee company. Through Vivir Coffee, Javi plans to source green coffee beans directly from farmers, roast them himself, share the stories behind the farms, and build a lifestyle brand centered on culture, connection, and living fully in the present.

David and Javi also explore the difference between being alone and being lonely, why community requires both giving and receiving, and how men often lose themselves by hiding emotions, staying busy, and putting everyone else first. Javi reflects on rediscovering the passionate and expressive version of himself that had been buried beneath responsibility, expectations, and the pressure to maintain a false sense of strength.

They discuss authentic storytelling, creative vision, leadership, Star Wars, baseball, and the importance of allowing yourself to feel both pain and joy. Javi closes with his guiding lesson: before expecting others to trust you, you must learn to trust yourself. You may make mistakes, change your mind, or need help—but when you truly believe in yourself, the fog begins to lift and new possibilities appear.

To connect with Javier Santana:

Vida Brand Lab:
https://vidabrandlab.com/

Vivir Coffee Company:
https://vivircoffee.com/

Search for Javier Santana on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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